Drivers

CSE Opens Freight Handling Center in Birmingham, Ala.

December 11, 2000
• by Staff

Con-Way Southern Express, a regional less-than-truckload carrier based in Fort Worth, Texas, announced the opening a new volume freight handling center in Birmingham, Ala.

The facility, which is located west of the city in Bessemer, began operations Dec. 6, one month after a nearly identical operation opened in the Richmond, Va., area.Ground was broken for the new 62,000-square-foot, 100-door service center in February. The number of dock doors increased to 100 from 24 in the previous Birmingham facility, and 50 more can be added as business requires.Company officials say the new facility is part of a continuous infrastructure investment plan that in the last year has added over 100 dock doors per month to the company's network of more than 400 service centers throughout the U.S and Canada.

Sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture isn’t the most effective way to train truck drivers, said U.S. Xpress as it unveiled a new professional driver training and development program that uses technology and hands-on training, including simulators and a driving range.

With tuitions skyrocketing maybe it’s not surprising that there seems to be some progress when it comes to young people recognizing that skilled trades are a viable and even preferable option when considering a career.

Drivers could be entitled to earn minimum wage for all hours worked – even during waiting periods officially entered as "off duty" or “sleeper berth” in log books – depending on the outcome of a case that could eventually have national implications.

The California attorney general’s office has fired back at legal challenges to a state Supreme Court ruling that may make it impossible for trucking companies to use independent contractor drivers in the state.

California has petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit asking it to overturn the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s recent decree that the state can’t enforce its rest break and meal rules against truck drivers.